Condiment shaker



Nov. 25, 1958 v s. M. KAPLAN 2,861,724

' CONDIMENT SHAKER Filed July 22, 1954 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 'CONDHVIENT SHAKER Sidney M. Kaplan, Worthington, Ohio Application July 22, 1954, Serial No. 444,951

1 Claim. (Cl. 222-478) This invention relates to shakers for salt and like materials, and more particularly to a shaker having an improved form of discharge orifices and a novel arrangement of the plug or stopper for the opening through which the salt or other condiment is poured into the shaker.

Heretofore the plug or stopper for such shakers has ordinarily been positioned in the bottom of the holder. With an arrangement of this nature it has been necessary to recess the. bottom of the shaker in order to prevent the stopper from extending beyond the lower edge of the holder and presenting an uneven surface when placed upon a table or other flat plane. In addition to the expense involved in the process of recessing, the plug employed under such circumstances has only a short handle or grasping portion protruding from the body of the holder which tends to cause diificulty in the removal of the plug, and particularly if the stopper is made of cork it frequently breaks at this area, the inward-extending portion falling into the shaker. Such a structure presents a further disadvantage when filling for the holder must be inverted with the result that the salt runs out of the orifices at the opposite end.

The orifices of an ordinary shaker likewise have the disadvantage of frequently becoming plugged with the salt and must be cleaned by the insertion of a thin wire, toothpick or the like into each individual hole.

An object of the present invention is to provide a shaker with the stopper positioned at the top, affording ready removal and insertion during the filling operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide orifices through which the salt or like material is dispensed by merely forming serrations or indentations at intervals around the periphery of the opening which receives the plug. It is thus possible to produce both the hole for the stopper and the orifices for the salt in one manufacturing operation, thereby considerably reducing the cost of the completed article.

Another object of the invention is to produce a shaker which may be easily cleaned. Upon the removal of the plug the material adhering to the walls of the dispensing channels will tend to drop away or may be readily brushed out.

Further purposes and advantages will be apparent in connection with the following description of an illustrative embodiment of this invention shown in the accompanying drawings in which like characters refer to like parts.

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the shaker, with the plug removed.

Fig. 2 is a perspective side view with the plug removed.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view with the plug inserted.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 1 represents the body of the shaker which is provided with an opening 2 for filling, which opening 2 is adapted to be closed by a stopper 3. Serrations 4 of any suitable number and shape are formed at intervals in opening 2 to provide discharge channels for the salt. These serrations are bounded partly by the plug, as shown at 5 in Fig. 3, and partly by a portion of the body wall of the holder, as shown at 6.

The shaker and stopper may be produced of any desired material such as glass, metal, wood, plastic or ceramic composition, or the combination of such materials. By virtue of the fact that the stopper is positioned at the top of the holder, it, as well as the body portion of the shaker may be produced in any attractive shape or contrasting color or material, thus enhancing the attractiveness and decorative eifect of the shaker as a whole.

While this invention has been described in connection with a specific embodiment thereof it is to be understood that this has been done merely for purposes of illustration. It is believed, however, that the foregoing is sufficient to enable one to understand and practice this invention which is to be governed as to scope by the language of the following claim.

I claim:

In combination, a condiment shaker having a serrated opening formed through the top thereof, a plug in said serrated opening, spaced portions of said opening between the serrations gripping said plug for securing said plug in said opening, said spaced portions of said opening defining annularly spaced discharge openings concentrically arranged about said plug.

References Cited in the file of this patent 

